Automatically-reclosing circuit-breaker.



E. C. RANEY. AUTOMATICALLY RECLOSING CIRCUIT BREAKER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 17,1916.

Patented July 23, 1918.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1 kg x Estell CRaney mm y; E. c. RANEY. AUIbMATICALLY RECLOSING CIRCUIT BREAKER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.17. 191a.

' Patented July 23, 1918.

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Est-ell C.Rdt16y 0R E. C. RANEY.

AUTOMATICALLY RECLOSING CIRCUIT BREAKER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.I7, I916. 1 373,786., Patented July 23,1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3 Estell CRaney MENTOR,

ATTORNEY.

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' troller to off UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

] Patented July 23 1918 muse... ma Auust17,191 8. 8cria'1No.115,856. I y a To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EsTELL C. RANEY, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have'invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatically-Reclosin Circuit-Breakers, of which the following is a specification.- I

My invention relates to automatically reclosing circuit breakers, of a type pecullarly effective in the protection of motor circuits and particularly desirable in individual motor circuits.

In the operationof a motor," it is desirable that a starting resistance be in circuit at the instant of applying power to start the motor. Therefore, I have provided an overload circuit breaker that cannot reclose until this starting resistance has been rendered ef-.

fective, but which recloses automaticall after such resistance has been rendered e fective. My circuit breaker is automatic, and may be so connected with any standard form of controller or starting device that the breaker can only reclose after such controller has been returned to off position to cut in the starting resistance. Then, the operation is such that the operator need not remove his hand from the controller; but, during the normal movements .of the controller and after the starting resistance has been rendered effective, the circuit breaker automatically recloses. Thus, the operator is not called upon to depart in any measure from his customary rocedure exce t that it is imperative for im to move t e conosition; otherwise the circuit breaker wil not operate.

My invention further comprises a circuit breaker adapted to be used in connection with controlling devices, the said breaker being responsive to overload, or

failure of voltage, or to other conditions under which it may, be desirable to open the circuit. For instance, this breaker may be used in conjunction with a controller having an auxiliary contact, which auxiliary contact controls the operation of the main contacts of the circuit breaker, so that such breaker will make and break the motor circuit outside of the controller at each cycle of operation of the controller. Or, my breaker may be used in connection with controllers or startin boxes, so that the breaker does not ordinari y open except in response to overload, or failure of voltage.

It is desired to call particular attention to the fact that the circuitbreaker in my improvement may be made inaccessible since its reclosing is entirely dependent upon the return of the controller to off position. Therefore, the setting and operation of my breaker cannot be interfered withby the operaton. On the other hand, the very fact that the reclo'sure of my breaker is governed by the controller broadens its scope of adaptability, since it may be used in protecting apparatus where the circuit breaker is necessarily remote from the controller, and yet the operator need not leave his controller.

I have deemed it advisable to describe my invention in its application to both the classes of mechanism indicated above, and its preferred embodiment is shown in the accompanying .drawings wherein similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts, and wherein Figures 1, 2 and 3 illustrate my improvement in application to a motor controller havingan auxiliary contact device for making and breaking the motor circuit outside of the controller.

-Figs. 4, 5 and 6 show my improvement in conjunction with a controller having manually operated contacts and'without an auxiliary contact device.

Fig. 1 diagrammatically illustrates the position of the arts of my apparatus with the circuit brea or closed.

Fig. 2 diagrammatically illustrates the position of the arts immediately after an overload, and with the motor controller in running position.

Fig. 3 illustrates the position of parts of my apparatus, immediately after the return of controller to off position and 'with the mechanism set for instantaneous operation upon the return of the controller to starting? position.

i 4 shows my ap aratus with the circuit reaker closed, W en used with a controller without an auxiliary contact.

Fi 5 shows the position of parts immediate y after an overload, with the motor controller in running position.

Fi 6 shows the positi n of parts imme-.

diate y after the return position. i In the drawings and referring particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the main feeder wires are designated 1 and 2. The motor is designated M, thecircuit breaker main contact is designated 4, and its reclosing coil is controller to off designated 8. The motor controller may have its parts indicated 29, 30, 31, 32 and 33. In conjunction with the controller an aux1l iarv contact device is indicated at and 16.

gagement with contact point 20. Coil 24 provides a means of release'for latch 19.

It should be{ particularly noted that "with the switch member 12 in contact with point- ,2(), Fig.2, that two parallel paths exist hetween the Wires 22 and 17, one of the clrcuits being through coil 24 and the other circuit being a low resistance circuit through wire;

14, to auxiliary contact device 15 and 16.

v This latter'circuit is broken by the move- 4 ment of controller to.ofi position;

The operation of my circuit breaker, when used as shown connected in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, may be briefly stated as follows :-Assuming the feeders 1 and'2 to be energized, a'movement of thecontroller to position-as shown I in Fig. 1, completes the circuit for operat-' .ing coil -8. The. main circuit breaker. contact 4 is closed by the operation of this coil 8, and the motor is supplied with current through: wire 3, through contact 4, wire 5, series coil- 6, controller parts 31, 32 and 33.

The circuit of coil 8, is traced from wire 1, through wire 3 to coil 8, resistance 9, wire 10, contact 11, switch 12, wires 13, and 14, auxiliary contact device 15 and 16, to wire 17, thence to wire 2. In case of an *excessire flow of current through coil 6, the plunger 18 is raised, engaging extension of switch 12, and rotatingthis switch out of contact with the point 11, and into engagement with con:

- tact point 20. 'lLatch 19 engages 12 and Kit maintains it in contact with 20 until released by action of coil 24. The movement of switch 12 out of contact with point-.11 re sults in the openin of breaker and the parts assume the position indicated in Fig. 2. A circuit now exists through limiting re sistance 21, to wire 22. From wire 22, a circuit exists through wire 13, switch 12, contact-20, coil 24, wire 25,. to wire 17. lln shunt with this last named circuit, is another circult of much lower resistance by way ofwire 14, contact ring 15, and contact arm 16 to nverse wire 17. -It is obvious that so long as the arm 16 is in contact with ring 15,. that the coil 24 will have practically all its current of parts to positions as shown in Fig. 3. A movement of the controller handle to the starting position, will new result in the re closure of the breaker, a The connections shown in Figs. 4;, 5 and 6 show the application of this breaker to a motor circuit having a; manually operated controller of the dmun type.

It should be noted that in coil 24 is shunted by the wire 38, wire '1, and

controller 32. The resistance of this shuntcircuit is very low in comparison to the resistance of coil 24.,

- The operation of my circuit breaker with the connections as shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6,

may be described as follows :Referring to Fig. 4, operating coil 8-, is ener zed by cur this case the rent from feeder 2, through wire 42, resistance 9, wire 10, contact 11, switch 12, wire. 27,and wire 3 to feeder 1. With coil 8 ener- 3, contact 4, wire 5, overload coil 6, controller parts 31, 32 and 33, wire 43, the motor,

wire 44, to line 2. t r

Should an overload current flow through the motor, coil 6 will be energized to propel tween 11 and 12, with a consequent opening of main contact 4, and a circuit completed from feeder 1, through wire 27, switch 12', resistance 37, coil 24, wires 41 and 43 through motor to wire 2, by wire 44. Owing to the low resistance shunt pat around coil 24 lby way of wire 38, and through controller, practically all of the ourgized, contact 4 will be closed and the path of current to the motor will be through wire rent throu h resistance 37 will be shunted In the foregoing description, I have described two methods of connecting my circuit breaker to two different forms of motor controllers, utilizing the same princi 1c in each case, namely, that of having the rec osing means under the control of two parallel circuits, one of which is-completed by the controller when in the starting or running posiv tion.

This same principle maybe applied to connect my circuit'breaker to operate with practically any form of motor controlling device, without any change of mechanical details on said motor controller.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: Y

1. In combination with a current controlling device adapted to control the flow of curr'ent'through a circuit, a circuit breaker, reclosin means, mechanism for restraining said rec osing means, means comprising a releasin coil for releasing said restraining means w on the current controlling device is.

made to open the circuit in which it is connected, a limitin resistance in circuit with the releasing coi and a circuit in parallel with the releasing coil, a part of said parallel circuit bein through the controlling device, so that sald last named circuit is open when the controller'is moved to off position. I

2. In combinationwith 'a circuit controlling device adapted to control the flow of current through a circuit, a circuit breaker, reclosing means, mechanism for restraming current through a circuit, a circuit breaker,

reclosing means, mechanism for restraining said reclosing means, means for releasing said restraining mechanism, switch structure operative upon overload to render said restraining means effective and simultaneously render said releasing means operable, means for operating said releasing means upon the opening of the circuit by the controlllng device. 4

4:. In combination with a current controlling device adapted to control the flow of current through an electric circuit, a circuit breaker, a coil for closing said circuit breaker, a switch for opening the circuit of said closing coil, restraining means for said switch, a coil to release said restraining means, said switch being operative to close the circuit. of said releasing coil, an overload coil controlling the opening of said switch, 'said releasing coil governing closing of said switch.

In testimony whereof I hereby aflix my signature. 7

ESTELL C. RANEY. 

